Independent Candidate Max Pappas Campaigning For Open Seat

By Ed Oliver
October 2002 Print Edition

When South Hadley's Max Pappas, 27, heard that four Democrats and a Green were vying for the open seat of incumbent Rep. Nancy Flavin, who is not seeking reelection, he decided it was time to throw his hat in the ring.

"I felt that with the economy struggling and the state budget in a shambles, the district really needed somebody who had a sound understanding of economics-what makes the economy move and what slows it down," said Pappas.

Pappas has a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Holy Cross and a Master's degree from the London School of Economics. He is running as an independent in the 2nd Hampshire District.

While in England, Pappas saw first hand the failure of many of their policies and the paralyzing effects of over regulation on the economy.

Mass Had A Powerful Economy

Pappas pointed out that Massachusetts used to have a very powerful economy, but over time the legislature has enacted more and more taxes and regulations, driving away businesses and jobs.

"Each one of those is a barrier to economic growth," said Pappas. "Each regulation is another regulation that each small businessman or woman has to meet. Every tax is like a pay cut to the people and to business."

Pappas said nearby Holyoke used to be the biggest paper-producing city in the world. "Today, all those factories are abandoned and empty. Those companies have left for states that are more friendly to jobs and economic growth.

"They've left for North Carolina and Arizona. Imagine how big the barriers have to be for a company to say we are going to abandon our building worth millions of dollars, which is already set up, and move to Arizona and start from scratch.

"Massachusetts has one of the most educated populations. So you have a building worth millions, human capital worth millions, and it's still better for businesses to leave the state.

"That's a clear example of the problem in Massachusetts-it's too hard to run a business here," said Pappas.

Of the two Democrats on the ballot in the primary, only Carlene Hamlin has mentioned cutting taxes and waste. Hamlin chairs the Board of Selectmen in South Hadley.

The other candidate, Patricia Duffy, has union backing and according to Pappas, has pledged to join the "Progressive Caucus" if she wins and becomes the state rep. "The Progressive Caucus is not for progress," warned Pappas, "They are for the socialization of anything possible in the state. They believe the government can save you."

The other two democrat primary candidates are running sticker/ write-in campaigns.

No Republican Opposition

Pappas has no Republican opposition in the general election, only Green candidate Susan Bartone, an Easthampton lawyer who said her top priority is to see Speaker Finneran replaced, preferably by a "progressive" democrat.

Pappas told MassNews that with 55% of the voters in his district registered as independents, he has a very good shot at winning. "That makes me the candidate of the majority," he said. Of the rest, 33% are Democrats and 12% are Republicans.

Pappas' political philosophy has kept him from joining either of the two major parties. He said he doesn't really know what Democrat and Republican means anymore, especially in this state. He describes himself as a libertarian, but not as extreme as the Libertarian party on some issues, saying the party is not serious about winning elections.

Pappas said he is a fiscal conservative who believes individuals should be in control of their own lives. He believes individuals know better how to allocate their resources than the government does.

"The government has gotten away from its core role of securing our freedoms-the core role of the army, the police and the courts. It spends most of its time shuffling money between my pocket and your pocket," he said.

Pappas said he wants to streamline the budget and privatize many services. He wants to see taxes continually rolled back and eventually eliminated, but believes that if Carla Howell's ballot initiative to eliminate the state income tax passes, the legislature will either ignore it or they will immediately retaliate by raising all sorts of other taxes, and property taxes will shoot up.

Pappas said he signed the Citizens for Limited Taxation pledge.

Strong Supporter of Gun Rights

Pappas is a strong supporter of gun rights, which he believes are for the protection of the citizenry, but supports restricting the rights of violent felons. "If the anti-gun people want to take guns away, I think they have to do it through a Constitutional Amendment," he said.

As a libertarian, Pappas does not support the Marriage Amendment, but disagrees with the way the legislature handled it. He would prefer to see churches marry people and get the state out of marriage and benefits.

He is pro-choice, but objects to partial birth abortions and all state funding of abortions. He thinks allowable abortions should be scaled back as science proves viability at earlier stages. He supports informed consent laws and laws requiring minors to get parental permission.

Pappas said he wants to see family court reform and would be interested in studying Fatherhood Coalition proposals about reform and shared parenting laws. He said his uncle is involved in a child custody battle that has opened his eyes to the anti-male bias of the family courts. His aunt wants to divorce and take the children out of state so she can live with her boyfriend. Even though letting the kids stay with dad is clearly "a no brainer" he said, the courts are unreasonably accommodating the mother's wishes.

On education, Pappas said public schools should be spending more of their money on teaching kids and less on meeting red tape and regulations created by bureaucrats in Boston. He opposes Bi-lingual education and supports the English "immersion" approach.

Pappas would help public schools by encouraging competition. "I think the school choice initiative that was put forward is a step in the right direction," he said, explaining that he attended a town meeting where the superintendent of schools expressed concern about students leaving South Hadley public school for charter schools and for other public schools. The superintendent said education needs to shape up in South Hadley so they don't lose them.

"If that's the effect that the choice program is having, " said Pappas, "That is the right effect."

Pappas said "Clean Elections," are a sham. "There is something a little bit East German about the government in power providing the money for candidates who want to take away their power. It is basically candidate welfare. It is for candidates who can't get enough support to raise money themselves."

Pappas suggested that not only should we make charitable contributions deductible again, but we should also make political contributions deductible.

Pappas worked at the Cato Institute in Washington D.C. before starting his own research and writing company. Included among his clients are the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Reason Public Policy Institute in California and international best selling author P. J. O'Rourke.